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South Korean ‘mask hoarders’ threatened with jail

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/02/04/20200204-china-health-southkorea-mask.jpg"/><figcaption>Pharmacist sells masks to prevent contracting coronavirus, at a pharmacy in the Myeong-dong in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 31, 2020. Heo Ran, Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>SEOUL - South Korean traders who hoard face masks and other products used to battle the coronavirus outbreak will face up to 2 years in prison, the government announced Tuesday.The deadly new virus first appeared in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, and has now infected more than 20,000 people, killing 425 and spreading to more than 2 dozen countries.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/02/04/20/china-virus-death-toll-rises-to-425-govt">China virus death toll rises to 425: gov&#x27;t</a></li></ul>Concern about the spread of the virus is growing in South Korea, where 16 cases have been identified so far.Demand for face masks and hand sanitizers has surged, the ministry of economy and finance said, leading to a &quot;sharp increase in prices&quot; due to &quot;hoarding&quot;.The 2 items were added to a list of designated products, it said.From Wednesday, sellers who hoard more than one and a half times their average monthly sales volume will face a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won ($42,000).South Korea has so far seen at least 4 cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus, while a hospitalized Chinese tour guide is believed to have caught the illness while working in Japan.On Tuesday, a Korean woman who recently visited Thailand became its 16th confirmed case.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/02/04/20/south-korean-woman-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-after-thailand-visit">South Korean woman tests positive for coronavirus after Thailand visit </a></li></ul>

South Korean traders who hoard face masks and other products used to battle the coronavirus outbreak will face up to 2 years in prison, the government announced Tuesday.

South Korean traders who hoard face masks and other products used to battle the coronavirus outbreak will face up to 2 years in prison, the government announced Tuesday.